The HTCC-SEE (Strengthening the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem for Higher Tier Clean Cooking) project launched

By Shanaj Parvin Jonaki (Practical Action Bangladesh).

MECS in-country partner Practical Action Bangladesh announces a new multi-country project being co-led in collaboration with SNV, to scale electric cooking (eCooking) for remote communities. Here, Shanaj Parvin Jonaki provides an overview of the recent launch event of the project’s activities in Bangladesh, which aim to develop a sustainable market for eCooking appliances.

The Strengthening the Entrepreneurial Ecosystem for Higher Tier Clean Cooking (HTCC-SEE) project was introduced in Faridpur on March 29, 2023, with the aim of gathering proposals from various stakeholders with the goal of developing a sustainable market for e-cooking appliances. HTCC SEE is a multi-country programme managed by RVO Netherlands and funded by the EU that operates in multiple countries. This 3-year-long project targets remote communities to enhance their access to electric cooking.

The event was conducted at the municipality hall. To create a viable market for electronic cooking appliances, Practical Action, and SNV have joined forces to launch this venture. The intention is to promote the usage of 35,000 of these appliances, which will benefit 140,000 people in Bangladesh’s Faridpur, Gazipur, and Jhinaidah Zilla.

A diverse group of 63 individuals attended the half-day session, including municipal members, representatives from e-cooking manufacturers (such as GAZI, VISION, and Walton), e-cooking businessmen, representatives from local NGOs (such as RACINE, and Esho Jaati Gori), etc., some cooperative (Doyel, Shapla, and Modhumoti) leaders, representatives from some banking and non-banking financial institutions, SME, and Practical Action staff from Dhaka, Faridpur, Khulna, and Satkhira. The workshop commenced with an introduction to Practical Action, SNV and the initiative, followed by a presentation on the project’s funding process in both the IGF (Innovation Grant Fund), the RBF (Result-based Finance), and governance issues.

Subsequently, the participants engaged in a question-and-answer session, where they discussed and learned about the challenges and obstacles in the e-cooking business, strategies for involving female entrepreneurs, and methods for identifying and reaching out to marginalized individuals.

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Featured image, top: Inception meeting for the HTCC-SEE Project (image credit: Sabbir Ahmed, Practical Action in Bangladesh).